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The night the Mckinnon's were wiped off the face of the earth was whispered about in every sitting room in magical Britain and Ireland.

"I knew Cormac you know, the father" pause, "Such a shame, whatever will become of the Auror department?"

"And the poor mother, she was a Fortescue, oh yes, Adeline Fortescue-McKinnon... the poor Fortescue's! Florian's sister dead and his daughter merely a shell in St. Mungo's, did you hear he's selling the ice cream parlour? They're saying he's ill"

"Hamish took right after his father of course, such a fine auror I heard— did you know his wife and babe were murdered that night as well? A babe! Can you imagine the barbarity?"

"My son knew Jenson McKinnon in school, Head Boy, did you know? He had just finished his healer training, he trained under my niece"

"Ewan was the looker, what a handsome boy he was, such a shame. He had only just been moved up from a reserve chaser for the Chudley Cannons, rubbish team, I know, but not a bad beginning, a pity he never truly began!"

"Ah Marlene... she was a close friend of the Potter's you know, real spitfire of a girl, rumours are she was named the Potter boy's godmother, such a shame, do you think they named a new one? Could that be where the babe's been hidden?"

"And the youngest... oh Merlin the poor thing, could you imagine? I don't know how I'd ever go on"

It was Hamish's birthday. Yes, of course it was, August second. That's why they were all there, Philippa and little Hollis too.

Who had answered the door? It had to have been Marlene. Elspeth remembered her sister undoing the tight wards after she looked through the window, laughing and calling out— "It's just ___!"

Who was at the door? Elspeth couldn't remember. The face was distorted in her memories. If only she could remember the voice! Her father's replacement had told her it was Black, Black was the mole. Had to have been— because he sold out the Potters. But Sirius didn't fit quite right in her nightmares. But it was him, the aurors said so, and so had Healer Jessop. Healer Jessop said it was normal for her memories to be misshapen. She didn't want to have the memories at all.

"What is it___? Come in— has something happened?"

Elspeth remembered the doorway becoming more crowded. More people joined the faceless man. Did she know them too? She didn't think so. But they weren't on the porch of the manor anymore, no they were in the front room— Elspeth could recall how they flew in like wisps of dark heavy smog. That was when the screaming began, why were they screaming? Why was she screaming?

Wands were drawn. So many wands. Elspeth kept hers locked in the cabinet now. So many flashing lights— not like the ones that came through her mum's stained glass windows. Mum. Mum had gone down first, yes, of course she did. Elspeth remembered now— it was right by the staircase. She heard mum's head crack on the wood.

Elspeth could see Philippa run past her, Hollis wailing in her arms. Elspeth? She was frozen. How was she meant to tear her eyes away from the puddle of blood under mum's head. It kept growing, widening, but it wouldn't thin. How did a person have so much blood? Did she?

She could hear Philippa drop behind her, had Hamish's wife reached the kitchen yet? Or did she fall in the hall? Elspeth wouldn't turn around to check. She almost turned when she heard Hollis crying. But then the crying stopped. Now Elspeth's feet were rooted to the floor. The blood had reached Elspeth's feet now— she felt it through her wool socks.

Dad was yelling. Hamish was yelling. Did Hamish see Philippa? Jenson was lying on the sofa but she knew he wasn't sleeping. His arm hung off limply, and his blue eyes were still open. People didn't sleep with their eyes open, and Jenson always snored. He said he didn't, but he did. Dad didn't cast silencing charms over Jenson's room growing up for no reason. Elspeth couldn't hear any snoring hidden in the screams and bolts of wandfire.

Where was her wand? Oh. It was in her hand wasn't it. Why wasn't she using it? Elspeth couldn't feel her arms. Elspeth couldn't feel anything. Dad had hit the floor without her noticing. Hamish too. If it weren't for the clothes they were wearing Elspeth wouldn't have been able to tell which was which, dad and Hamish had always looked so similar.

But now it looked like one of them was missing a nose— or was it an eye? She couldn't tell from where she stood, was she even in the room? It didn't feel like she was. She couldn't tell which lump on the ground was who, there were puddles under them like mum now. Maybe if Elspeth cleaned the blood from the faces she could see which one was dad and which one was Hamish.

Marlene was in the air, why was Marlene in the air? She was screaming. It pierced Elspeth's ears,

"How could you!" pause, "___ I trusted you! We trusted you!"

Who was it that Elspeth trusted? The face was still misshapen. Oh right, it was Sirius. Sirius Black was at the door that night.

Marlene hit the wall— then the ground. She reached for her wand as it rolled away but Elspeth saw one of the robed figures reach it first. Then Marlene was silent, her eyes were open like Jenson's now. At least Marlene wasn't covered in blood. Elspeth had seen enough blood. If she focused hard enough Marlene looked peaceful. Almost as if Marlene was sleeping. But of course, people don't sleep with their eyes open.

A scream made Elspeth jump. Oh wait. She was screaming. She could feel her body again, but it didn't feel like her body. Elspeth couldn't describe the feeling— even when Healer Jessop asked her to. That had been a bad day, they had to put her in restraints. Elspeth hated restraints, thankfully they hadn't since. Healer Jessop stopped asking her to describe the feeling of the spell one of the robed figures had used on her.

Elspeth was on the ground now. Had she fallen? No. No, Ewan had pushed her. She could see his Chudley Canons shirt as he crouched over her. He was yelling at her before he pushed her to the ground— before he silenced the robed figure who was hurting her.

"Elspeth! Elspeth what are you doing? Run Spetty please!"

Ewan wasn't crouching anymore, no, he was lying on her now. It hurt. Ewan was so much bigger than her, tall too, he had always been the tallest in the family. Elspeth was gasping under his body weight— but Ewan wouldn't budge. Why wouldn't he move? Why wasn't he answering her?

Elspeth couldn't remember much after that. There were more lights, but none that made her sleep with her eyes open like mum, Jenson, and Marlene. No, there were voices, and footsteps. Yes— they came from outside, and it startled the people in robes, and the man everyone told her was Sirius Black. They left quickly, they hadn't noticed she was still breathing.

Elspeth didn't know how she was still breathing. There was blood, was it hers? She thinks so. Ewan was so heavy. Her ribs ached from underneath him. She didn't know who the new voices belonged to, never saw their faces, only the night sky behind her eyelids as she fell asleep.

Was it sleep? Sleep was normally peaceful. Elspeth didn't feel at peace.

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August 3rd 1981

✷ DAILY PROPHET ✷

➞ BREAKING NEWS! TRAGEDY IN BRAEMAR!

In the early evening of August 2nd tragedy befell the normally quiet village of Braemar, in Aberdeenshire. The pureblood McKinnon family has been slaughtered in their home, it is believed the family was under one roof to celebrate the birthday of the eldest McKinnon child, Hamish, 28, who is among the deceased along with his wife Philippa (née Fawley) and their one year old daughter Hollis. Others deceased are the parents, Cormac and Adeline (née Fortescue) McKinnon, as well as their children; Jenson McKinnon, Ewan McKinnon, Marlene McKinnon, and Elspeth McKinnon.

Cormac McKinnon had been appointed the head of the Ministry's Auror department following Ghislaine Belvedere's retirement in 1968, and will be remembered for his valiant handling of the department as we navigate such uncertain times. Rufus Scrimgeour has been named as interim head Auror in the wake of such tragedy.

The Auror department has yet to comment on the events in Braemar last evening and the investigation to follow, but have released the following:

"We will never forget Cormac McKinnon's service to this government, and to this nation, may he rest in peace alongside his family"

➞ EDIT:

August 4th 1981

It appears that early reports regarding the murder of the Mckinnon's are incorrect, the family's youngest child, Elspeth McKinnon, 20, has survived and is being treated at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

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thoughts?

jess <333